X4pro Stuck on Update Complete

[chipset-tech]

Affected Version

1.5.0.30-cpr-vcodex-x4pro

Describe the Bug

After the installation on my X4Pro my screen is stuck at the "Update Complete" state. I was using the Crosspoint firmware 1.6.0 with no issues...I downloaded the vCodex [1.5.0.30-cpr-vcodex-x4pro.bin] and updated via SD.

Steps to Reproduce

1.Installed Crosspoint 1.6.0
2.Download the 1.5.0.30-cpr-vcodex-x4pro.bin
3.Move the file to SD card root
4.Flash from SD option on Crosspoint
5.Update completed screen
6.Screen Freeze and no response at all on trying to reboot the device

Expected Behavior

A reboot from the device and initalize the firmware

Relevant Log Output/Screenshots

[franssjz]

A corrected X4 Pro firmware is now available. Please do not reinstall CPR-vCodex versions 1.5.0.28 through 1.5.0.30.

1. Remove every old X4 Pro .bin file from the root of the SD card.
2. On a desktop computer, open CPR-vCodex Auto Flash in Chrome or Edge.
3. Select Xteink.
4. Connect the reader using a USB-C data cable.
5. Click Flash CPR-vCodex Firmware for Xteink X4 Pro and select the ESP32-S3 USB JTAG/Serial port.
6. If the frozen device does not appear or cannot connect:
   • Keep USB connected.
   • Hold the upper/previous-page side button—the GPIO0 button.
   • Press and release the recessed Reset button.
   • Release the side button.
   • Click Flash again and select the new ESP32-S3 USB port.
7. Do not disconnect the cable while the firmware and OTA data are being written.
8. When the page reports that flashing is complete, unplug and reconnect USB.
9. Press and release Reset, then hold Power for a few seconds until the reader starts. The first boot may take up to one minute.
   Do not attempt the blind SD-card recovery sequence while 1.5.0.28–1.5.0.30 is installed. Recover it through USB first.
   For future SD-card updates after installing 1.6.0.31:
10. Copy only the 1.6.0.31-cpr-vcodex-x4pro.bin file to the SD-card root.
11. Open Settings → System → SD Card Firmware Update.
12. Tap the firmware row on the touchscreen.
13. Wait for validation to finish.
14. Tap the confirmation action on the right side of the dialog.
15. If it does not restart automatically, press Reset and then hold Power.

[carlo-z-duardo]

The same thing happened to me, but my Xteink doesn't have the firmware flashing feature via USB.

[chipset-tech]

Hi @franssjz, thanks for the step-by-step but my X4pro is the CN locked version (Sorry, I forgot to mention the version of my device inside the issue description...my bad) Do you know any workaround to the locked version? Thanks again for the support!

[franssjz]

Thank you for clarifying that these are CN/USB-locked X4 Pro devices. The USB/browser flashing instructions posted earlier do not apply to them.

If the reader can still connect to Wi-Fi and access Check for Updates, try the official CrossPoint Unlocker. It sends official CrossPoint or CrossInk firmware through OTA, so USB flashing is not required. Do not install another CPR‑vCodex X4 Pro build.

If Unlocker shows Windows error 10013, close it, stop/disable the Windows SharedAccess (ICS) service, run ipconfig /flushdns and netsh winsock reset, restart Windows, and run Unlocker as administrator.

If the device cannot connect to the Unlocker hotspot, cannot open the updater, and is not detected through USB, there is currently no confirmed non-invasive recovery method. In that situation, please contact the seller/Xteink for recovery or replacement. Do not follow the CrossPoint X3/X4 hardware-unbricking guide: it targets ESP32-C3 devices, not the ESP32-S3 X4 Pro.

Please let me know whether the device connects to the Unlocker hotspot after Reset + Power, even if the e-ink screen appears frozen.
References:

• CrossPoint documentation for USB-locked devices
• Official CrossPoint Unlocker
• Recent CN-locked X4 Pro successfully recovered through OTA Unlocker

[chipset-tech]

@carlo-z-duardo I know that, right...Im not really happy but Im not upset, because I tried to open the Issue as fast as I could so others don't get affected by this problem as well. So, in the end of the day, Im happy that @franssjz helped us and removed the support for the X4pro for now (until we find a solution). And Im also happy that we don't have many reports like this as I've been using the vCodex on my X4 (the first model) for some months now and Its one of my favorite firmwares and @franssjz help just made me like more of the project. Im also trying to find a solution here. Im trying to boot up the Escape Hatch (I generated a firmware.bin file via Linux with Escape hatch) and if it boot, we can have a workaround. I also contacted the Xteink Support regarding their flash tool (https://xtcloud.xteink.cc/) if they could help me "re flashing" the device. If all goes well, I hope that we'll find a solution. 😃

[franssjz]

@chipset-tech @carlo-z-duardo — I understand that both readers are USB-locked and became unresponsive after installing the X4 Pro build. My goal is to get you back to official CrossPoint. The next useful step is to check for crash information already saved on the SD card and establish whether any recovery code can still run. I do not currently have a verified recovery procedure for your exact situation.

I’m sorry for the firmware failure and for the earlier instructions that did not account properly for your devices.

I have now checked the code of 1.5.0.30 specifically. There are two important findings:

• It explicitly turns Wi-Fi off during startup. My earlier request to check whether it automatically joins the Unlocker hotspot was therefore not a reliable test. No hotspot connection does not establish that the processor is dead.

• It still contains code that writes a crash report to the SD card after a detected crash, provided the next boot reaches SD initialization. That may give us useful evidence without USB or a working screen. Startup code · Crash-report code.

Please do the following:
1. Preserve the SD card before further experiments.
Using a computer and card reader, back up the card, including hidden files. Please do not format it or delete .crosspoint. No new firmware or desktop tool is needed for this first check.

2. Look for these specific files and attach them here if present:

/crash_report.txt
/.crosspoint/cpr-vcodex-logs/recovery.json

crash_report.txt can contain the firmware version, panic reason and stack information. recovery.json may contain a recorded startup stage. They could be from an earlier firmware, so I need to inspect their contents before drawing conclusions.

If neither exists, simply report that. Their absence does not prove permanent damage, and there is no need to keep restarting the device trying to generate them. Please share only these files, not your entire settings folder or Wi-Fi credentials.

3. @chipset-tech: please clarify the Escape Hatch attempt before trying another BIN.
Which repository and build command did you use? Was the file actually installed through an updater, or only copied onto the SD card?

The official catalog does have an Escape Hatch build specifically for X4 Pro. However, it must be installed through a working update route; copying it onto the card does not make the reader boot it. We must verify that your locally built file targets X4 Pro rather than X3/X4.

4. Please share Xteink’s response when it arrives.
Since you have already contacted them, this is the precise recovery question to send:
My X4 Pro is the Chinese USB-locked model. It previously ran CrossPoint 1.6.0 successfully. After installing CPR-vCodex 1.5.0.30-x4pro through CrossPoint’s SD updater, it no longer responds. I cannot access its menus or initiate OTA, and USB flashing is blocked. Do you have a service recovery method that works without a running application, or can you restore the previous OTA slot? If servicing is required, what is the procedure?

@carlo-z-duardo, please substitute your own previous firmware version if it differed.

The firmware we want to return to is official CrossPoint 1.6.0 for X4 Pro. I have downloaded it and verified its checksum. The unresolved problem is how to install it on your affected readers, so please keep it aside until we establish that route.

@boydj, your hardware experience from #206 would be particularly helpful here: can you help assess recovery from the released 1.5.0.30 image on a USB-locked X4 Pro, including whether the previous CrossPoint OTA slot could still be usable?

[carlo-z-duardo]

@franssjz Thank you for your consideration and effort. I will follow your guidelines.

[chipset-tech]

Hi @franssjz , thank you very much for the answer. Im with my x4pro here, but I formatted my microSD trying to make some tests (no worries, I did a backup but its in my PC and I won't be at home today, I think I can get the backup this week if all goes well).

EDIT: about the xteink support, Im still waiting their answer. Nothing so far 👎

For the Escape Hatch, my hope was that it could boot from a different partition or something like that. Maybe working like my old Linux Live CDs back in the day 🧓

I have the firmware.bin file here in my microSD but looks like .bin files aren't allowed to be uploaded here.

Here's what I did (Linux Mint)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git python3-pip pipx build-essential

After the installation, I had to make sure that pipx had a path:
pipx ensurepath

source ~/.bashrc

(install plataformio and check if it was successfully installed)
pipx install platformio
pio --version

Then, I created a folder to make the magic :)

Tools installed, folder created, It was time to clone the github repo to my PC
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/escape-hatch.git
grep -n "x4pro" platformio.ini
pio run -e x4pro

In the end it said that the firmware.bin was successfully created
The path was .pio/build/x4pro/firmware.bin

After the firmware.bin created I moved it to the root of my MicroSD and tried a few "hotkeys" trying to force the reboot but no success 😿

Again, thank you very much for the help 😃

[carlo-z-duardo]

@franssjz , the backup was performed, and the files "/crash_report.txt" and "/.crosspoint/cpr-vcodex-logs/recovery.json" are not present on the SD card.

[boydj]

@boydj, your hardware experience from #206 would be particularly helpful here: can you help assess recovery from the released 1.5.0.30 image on a USB-locked X4 Pro, including whether the previous CrossPoint OTA slot could still be usable?

@franssjz I do not have a USB-locked X4 Pro, I bought mine from Xteink.